Let's Look Gift Ideas for Men

 Hey friends!  Today I am linking up with Shay & Erika for this month's edition of Let's Look. A fun monthly post where we take a peek at some random little things in our lives. Today's topic, Little Things we do Everyday. 

Today's post... Gift Ideas for Men!

Now I am not 100% certain, but I assume many people might feel their husbands can be "tough to buy for".  I do not have that issue. I think Paul starts his wish list in the Summer. He keeps some ideas in his notes app on his phone and others on his Amazon wish list. He loves to share his list with me of what he is wishing for. It's part hilarious and part adorable & he does it every year. If my Mom asks him for a gift idea, he happily texts her a link to something he wants. Last year it was a boating stethescope that measured something on the boat. She had no idea what she was buying him, but was happy to click the link and get him what we was wishing for! LOL

Anyway I have rounded up a few things that Paul has gotten for gifts, and yes most of these were at his request. They are some of his most used items.

Paul is always struggling with dry skin on his face in the Winter. He’s not one to use products per se, so he’ll take some of mine but say that they smell too feminine or floraly.  I’ve gotten this one and he seems to like it and it helps with dry skin.

Paul is often watching YouTube videos on his phone. Whether it is to learn how to fix something in the house or a podcast on Health, he’s often holding his phone to watch a video. I thought this would be a cool idea for him to watch without having to hold his phone. 

So we don’t have this bag, but I was traveling with a peer for work and he had this backpack. He literally had all he needed for a couple of days travel in this backpack. It opens up to hold so much!

Now, maybe not the most glamorous gift, but definitely a practical one. Paul has this and uses it often!

Paul skis in the Winter. He’s the only skiier in the family, none of us really enjoy skiing. His issue has been his feet being cold. He got these electric warming socks a couple of years ago and he’s been a much happier skier. These are perfect, if you have a guy in your life that is an avid winter sportsman, or even hunting, definitely helps to keep things warm.

Paul has a Helly Hansen winter jacket that he loves. Last year for his birthday I got him the rain jacket version.  I don’t think you realize how much you need a good rain jacket until you don’t have one. He loved it so much, he got one for his dad this year as well. This one is pricier, but a great investment piece and super great quality.

Paul loves wearing slippers in the house. He was an avid Ugg fan for years until he found this brand. He got a couple Summer shoes from this brand a few years ago and has been sold ever since. 

We got him these slippers last year for Christmas (courtesy of his list of course!) and he loves them!

While these gifts are all material things, I really think one of the best gifts you can give yourself or encourage someone to give to themselves is the gift of health. Last summer, Paul had a heart attack. He is a typically healthy, young male and it really rocked our world when it happened. 

 He has been doing a ton of research on how to live the healthiest lifestyle and these are two books he would strongly recommend.

The one on the left is of simpler, easy read.  Just talks about general lifestyle, diet, and other things to live your best and youngest life. That was one of the first ones he read.  There’s also a version for women that I have read. The book Outlive is a little bit deeper. This takes you through some more complex medical terms, but if you stick with it, there’s a lot of really good information about the science of longevity. 

And there is my list. Any great ideas you have for men? Share them in the comments below. 

Have a great Wednesday! See you back here later this week for Friday Favorites. There is always room for one more at our family table. 

xoxo

Genevieve

Something New for Your Family Table Chicken Roll -Ups

 Happy Monday, friends! Coming off of a great weekend at home, before traveling for work today, and then again at the end of the week, as Ella heads to Saratoga to race in the cross-country state championship!

Paul and I had a fun night out with some friends on Saturday, talking all things college. 

And I guess I felt like my old college self, because we ended up going out for tacos at the end of the night! 

Sunday morning, I dressed up in my Bills gear and went out to the grocery store to grab a few things, as we were hosting our parents and my sister for the game and dinner.

My mother-in-law brought her Mah-Jong game. I think there’s a more formal game to play, but we play sort of a made up game.  It’s a game she taught me like 25 years ago, and we would play it every time we went to Florida. We call it Turtle  and it’s kind of like a matching game with the Mahjong titles. My mom and sister loved it!

I made Chicken Roll-ups for a crowd. I kind of took a blend of a few recipes to make them. 

I started out with some very thin sliced chicken cutlets, that I seasoned with salt and pepper. Then I got the stuffing pieces ready. Sliced ham & Swiss cheese for the cordon bleu roll ups. And then I did a bruschetta, chopped spinach and fresh mozzarella filling for the others.

I went ahead and assembled them, laying a slice of ham and thinly sliced Swiss cheese on some, and then the bruschetta, spinach and mozzarella on others.

I rolled them up tightly and then secured them with two toothpicks. Not the most appetizing picture, but this is how it looked.

I lightly sprayed a baking dish with avocado oil. I actually used two baking dishes, since I was making about 18 roll ups.

I did three egg whites with about 2 tablespoons of water and mixed  that well. I dipped each roll up in the egg wash and then into some seasoned breadcrumbs to coat.

Once they were all nestled in my pan, I gave them another spray with some avocado oil. I popped them in a 425° oven for about 30 to 35 minutes.  Cooking time really depends on the thickness of your chicken cutlets. You just want to make sure the chicken is cut through. 

I drizzled the bruschetta ones with a balsamic glaze once I pulled them out of the oven. 

They received rave reviews from everybody at the table ranging in age from 15 to 89! 

I made them all in the morning and then just had to put them in the oven. A great make ahead dish that looks fancy and can be hands off if you are having people for dinner!

I also made the chocolate chip cookies from one of my Magnolia cookbooks. I got this cookbook sometime around Covid, and during that time I made these cookies 1 million times. It’s been a while since I made them. It’s one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes 

I made the dough earlier in the morning and just kept it chilled. While dinner was cooking. I took the dough out to take some of the chill off. Then I scooped them onto some baking sheets and baked them while we were eating dinner. I mean a warm chocolate cookie was  the perfect and to our weekend! 

Wishing you a great week ahead! 

I’ll see you back here later in the week. There is always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

Friday Favorites November 8th

 Happy Friday friends! Anyone else feeling like this???

Ugh, the darkness is tough! But we made it to Friday!!!  As always, I am linking up with Andrea & Erika for a little Friday Favorites. A peek into a few of my favorite things from the week. 

one 

Kids mostly wrapped up their Fall sports seasons.  Luke wrapped up his volleyball season about a week and a half ago, but was called up to practice with the varsity team for their playoffs. While he didn’t experience playing time, it was pretty cool to be able to play with the group.

Looking forward to travel volleyball and basketball coming up next!

We had Ella's final cross country banquet this week. Another bittersweet "last" in this Senior year. She has a little bit more running left, with the State Championship coming up next weekend!

The kids give each other some "fun" awards. She got best dressed....which was not shocking. She is always heading to practice in a coordinated workout outfit. I may have won the same award when I was in highschool. Lol! How cute is her skirt? And it's 30% off!

two

This picture may not do it justice, but this marinated chicken and noodles from A Healthy Slice of Life is one of my kids' favorite meals. We made it for dinner this week.

Another favorite for dinner this week was chili and cornbread. It was perfect for Sunday after a day watching football, cooler weather, and the fact that it got dark at like 5 o’clock. I share the details on my favorite chili recipe here.

three

Maybe not the best picture, but this nail polish color has quickly become one of my favorites. It’s just a pretty red with a touch of berry color. A great shade for holidays!

And this grey cardigan is one of my favorites and 30% off right now!

I have been loving all of the new sweaters at Target. And they are 30% off  through tomorrow!

This one caught my eye in store. It is so cozy and thick and a great length to wear with leggings. 

Unfortunately, this cardigan is old, but they have one very similar that I have in cream and black.

See, here is this cardigan in the cream.  It's a great length and soft cotton. I thought it was cute with a little front tuck. It comes in several colors, but I am always a sucker for cream. And  my loafers are a go to. I wear them at least once a week to work. 

I was in Target this week and how adorable are these bags?

The red one is gorgeous for a holiday party and the black is perfect for a Fall or Winter date night.

While we are on Target, I shared this before, but am still loving this green Set. Perfect color for Fall and Winter and a great price point to try a new color in your workout wear. I’ve always said I will invest in black or neutral pieces, but when I want to try a fun color, I usually go towards Target or Old Navy. I think they both have good quality for the price point.

I also grabbed the matching sweatshirt.

four

I grabbed a few things at the Sephora sale this week. One was this Makeup for Mario set. Tucking away for a holiday gift for Ella. 

I also loved these Milk Party Sticks... probably another stocking stuffer!

five

Last week Paul and I went out for a much-needed night out. Of course we went for Mexican, because I could eat that every day of the week.

It was a cooler night, so I was happy to wear my most favorite leather leggings. They are a splurge but a staple for me in the Fall & Winter.

Also a random find, but I got these boot inserts, and they are perfect for keeping my tall boots shape while in my closet

six

I shared this here before in my Amazon favorites, but these little covers for your full-size products when traveling are so great. They prevent anything from leaking. I used them last week again when I was traveling for work.

And of course in the background, you can see my favorite travel toiletry bag. I love it!!

And that's a wrap on my favorites for the first week of November! Wishing you a great weekend ahead & we will see you back here on Monday. There is always room for one more at our family table. 

xoxo

Genevieve

p.s. I get commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog. 

Weekend WrapUp & Something New for Your Family Table

 Happy Monday friends! 

I have no idea what happened to the last two months, but here we are in November! Work has been a little crazy and life has been "life-ing", and I have not gotten on here to write a blog post in a bit. This weekend was much needed with no much "to do" on our calendar. 

Friday night Paul and I went out for Mexican! I could go out for Mexican every night.....anyone else?

We celebrated Ella and her team capture the section championship for the third year in a row. And they will be off to the state cross country championship in two weeks.

Saturday monring, after a week of work travel, I was finally able to get back to my favorite place to take a spin class. And then ran all of the errands!

We weren’t doing anything Saturday afternoon, so I snuck out and got my vote in. If you were not able to early vote, make sure you have a plan to get out there tomorrow. 

Sunday morning I enjoyed that extra hour of sleep… And met my girlfriend for a long walk to start the week. It was a cold one, at 37°.

Spent the rest of Sunday doing laundry and watching football. I made my favorite chili recipe for the first time this season. In my favorite pot that is a budget friendly version of Le Creuset. 

Also made some cornbread. I don’t do anything fancy. I take two boxes of the jiffy cornbread mix and add in one can of corn (drained), and then follow the rest of the instructions and ingredients on the box. I bake it for about 20-25 minutes. 

Really nothing better than chili and cornbread on a cold Sunday night after watching some football! 

You can garb all the recipe details here. I have made this one for years! It makes a big pot, so we can usually get two meals out of it. Often we make baked potatoes on Day 2 and top with the chili- so good!

Wishing you a great week ahead! See you back here later in the week. There is always room for one more at our family table. 

xoxo

Genevieve

p.s. I get commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog.